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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22486123">Greenpath.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonorchiids/pseuds/moonorchiids'>moonorchiids</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Pallor Kingdom [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, IM NOT EVEN KIDDING, Novelization, That's it, canon? we don't know her, erios and hornet look different from canon, erios is adorable, he just kills, hornet is fucking terrified, i wrote this because i was bored be nice to me, it's literally the same thing but from different perspectives, mainly because erios is acting like a psychopath in this, mainly of the first hornet fight, pretty much a novelization, the knight is named erios and is he/him, there's a lot of thinking going on here, they also have eyelids, they fight, they fight and talk to themselves, what if i disregarded canon completely haha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:27:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22486123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonorchiids/pseuds/moonorchiids</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hornet encounters whatever it's been that's been stalking her.<br/>(alt title: hornet has a mental breakdown because the knight exists)<br/>(alt title 2: i novelized the first fight with hornet but not really well because a lot of noncanon stuff happens at the end so👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 )</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Pallor Kingdom [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627558</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Silk.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=you%21%21">you!!</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Its not really what I promised but it's something</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fear shook me heavily as I saw my "stalker" emerge into my sight. It was short and cloaked in purple that ranged on occasion to a pink as it flourished in several colors at once, much like my own dress. It had a rounded, large head reminiscent of a square, with two large, curved horns that frayed into two prongs at the end protruding from the corners of its mask.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>But what took me aback was its eyes. I stared into them, and no matter what there was nothing there. Nothing ever showed in them. They were dead. They were empty. They were more hollow and black, covered in shade, and painfully empty than anything I had seen. It was truly the perfect void. But it wasn't the eyes that ticked me off to its true intentions, it was a stare at his-no, <em>it's </em>nail that told me everything there was to tell. It was stained in a puddle of both white puddles of soul...and orange splashes of infection. My heart almost stopped when I realized that indeed, it was poised to attack, but it seemed to have a defensive stance. As though it were not sure that I wanted to attack. I pulled out my needle, prepared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Come no closer, ghost," I growled.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"I've seen you, creeping through the undergrowth, stalking me."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"This old kingdom... A terrible thing awakens. I can smell it in the air..."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"I know what you are. I know what you'd try to do. I can't allow it..." I then struck it with my needle, but swiftly, it jumped upward, dodging my attack, as my needle only met the odd fabric of the cloak, which tore and fell from my needle, leaving a small scrap of fabric on the ground. To my surprise, I felt a sharp pain in my head. It had hit me with its needle, and now that I saw it yet again, I saw nothing but a lust for death, indescribably portrayed with just painful emptiness that seared my soul just to look at.</p><p> </p><p>Needle after needle poking, almost every one of them was dodged. Every time I let out silk to attack it, it hit me with an odd white orb that hurt...a lot. This warrior was incredibly strong; skilled beyond anything she had fought lately. Its speed was close to my own, but not quite. But it still managed to get hit after hit in. Soon, as I pounced, furious and hoping to end it, my needle well-aimed and poised to strike, the nail still made contact with my chin and shortly carved a path through the fabric of the neck of my dress, ripping it at the very seams until my neck was, indeed, visible. I fell to the ground, on my back, and began scrambling away, and as I used both hands to "run," I realized my needle was gone. The warrior had its foot on it...and it's nail at my neck. It tilted its head, eyes narrowed in anger and, perhaps disgust that I had attacked it so soon. </p><p> </p><p>My heart sunk as I realized my very being was at stake here. I could die when this creature pleased like just another minor roadblock in its path as it trekked to destroy everything that had been worked for. I was just another monster to it that attacked it first. Or maybe it found a thrill in it's attacking me. I looked at its eyes, trying to find something, but again, I could not. It was empty. It was emotionless. It thought I was nobody, it knew I was nobody, to it, I was just something that hurt it, and it would not regret killing. I was another monster.</p><p> </p><p>And it would find thrill in my death.  It would smile as it ripped my very soul out with just metal and sadism. It would forget me soon enough as it fought foes bigger than myself. </p><p>But it was so empty, my mind raced with realization after the other, and I realized that it might not feel anything. But that was not the truth. It was confused, and angry right now. I bowed my head, ready for my soul to be removed, and just used to kill another roadblock. </p><p>But that moment never came. Once it saw that I was preparing to face death, it stared at me, it's eyes still ever empty. It then pointed at itself with two little pats on the nose, and then at me, and tilted its head. It knew I was sentient. But why wasn't it talking? Was it a survivor of something that took that away? Or was it...truly empty? It had not flinched when I nearly hit it with my needle, nay, it had not cringed when I really did. </p><p>I frowned, and I said only one thing. "I'm sorry. Please...please don't kill me." I begged, my voice cracking and my eyes squeezed shut and shaking my head slightly. It took it's left foot off my needle. It blinked at me. I stood, shakily. "Can you...can you speak?" I asked. But it responded with only a shake of its head.  It gestured to its mask and then shook it's head again. It tilted its head at me. I went silent.</p><p>"What do you need?" I asked.</p><p>It was still silent, but I think I now know what it was referring to when it pointed to itself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Void Soul</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Erios encounters a woman in a red dress.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>wow, um, i tried?<br/>im writing this just before I write, and i think this will probably suck but,, I certainly hope not??<br/>notably i was planning to write Erios just dying over and over again because that's what i did when i first fought hornet. but no. im nice and I chalked it up to one fight where he defeats hornet. <br/>if only i did 696 words again but i know for a fact i probably won't</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I had been exploring this odd new place. Greenpath, it was called. And a suiting name at that. I had only one question for the entire place...</p><p>Who was the insect who kept appearing, just in my sight, yet fleeing instantaneously every time they had noticed me?</p><p>It did not appear to have whatever the other creatures did; some form of illness...</p><p>But then again, I knew not to judge a book by it's cover.</p><p>So, I followed them. </p><p>And he followed.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, a loud "SHAW!" pierced the air. I looked behind me, to notice the same insect. It was now visible; it was a female, donned in a crimson dress that would range in color from red to orange, sometimes to yellow and pink, seemingly made of a silk fabric. The shape at the end was a row of semicircles, which contrasted the rest of her fairly sharp, angular look. Her head was a typical U shape, her horns long and proud above her head, with narrowed eyes. Her legs were thin, and she stood proudly on them.</p><p>Yet what surprised me was her nail. But was it a nail? No, it wasn't. It was a needle.</p><p>The needle was thin, and went to an endlessly sharp point. It shined grimly, the silver dappled at times with stains of orange. There was, what appeared to be, a long thread of white silk that flowed in an odd "eye" in the needle. </p><p>"Come no closer, ghost," She said, eyes narrowed. "I've seen you, creeping through the undergrowth, stalking me." <em>I only wanted to know who you are...</em> I remarked, mentally grimacing and wishing more than ever that I could speak.  "This old kingdom, a terrible thing awakens-" I braced myself for a homing needle to jump over, I gripped my nail, and tried my best to look frightened; yet, that was a lie.  "-I can smell it in the air." She continued. </p><p>"I know what you are, I know what you'd try to do. I won't allow it." She growled, pulling out her needle. With her screaming only one word, "SHAW!" that cut through the air as if it were nothing but the flesh of a lone vengefly, I knew I was in grave danger. She lept up, and dashed at me, nail outstretched. I rolled to the side, but her needle had stabbed into a piece of my cloak. As I rolled, a small portion tore. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief, but instantly swung my nail at her. To which she unstuck her needle and wailed "BAFANADA!" </p><p>White lashes of silk flamed around her, whipping everything in the vicinity, which included me. The strands felt like lava, and I flinched from the pain and I swear, if I could say anything, maybe just a single word for my whole life, I would have screamed right then and there. I slid across the room, but remained upright, soon, power swelled in me, and I released the Vengeful Spirit. The white orb of soul barreled into her, sending her backward slightly, to which she wailed. "SHAW!" She screeched, dashing forward, only facing a nail to the face. She proceeded to flee to the other side of the area, as did I, but to my surprise, she <em>threw</em> the needle at me, using her silk as a tether. I jumped over it, and jumped again as she pulled it back. I then darted towards her, slicing at her shoulder, and hitting her again in the stomach. She shoved me away by threatening in the same pose as she did with her odd vicinity attack, to which I jumped backward, and with the new soul, used Vengeful Spirit yet again. She staggered, falling to her knees, face forward in an almost weeping position, to which I struck her again with my nail. She recoiled but stood again.</p><p> </p><p>It did not take me long to defeat her. She learned my tactics from time to time, and I had to adjust, but I remained strong. The most memorable moment had to be her fall. I had got a good hit in on her, and tore the fabric of her collar; her neck was exposed, and then, I shoved her with my nail, her needle falling out of her hand. She scrambled backward, but I put one foot on the needle beside her, the other on her chest, and I pointed my needle at her throat. Her eyes filled with genuine fear, but my dead eyes just stared back, yet I narrowed them. </p><p>She was but a defender, perhaps, but that gave her no right to attack me from nowhere. I was fully ready to end her life, right then and there, but before I could, she said something. "I'm sorry. Please...please don't kill me." She pleaded, and a little voice inside me simply said 'she doesn't have the guts to fight you again anyways.'</p><p>I focused, but I sheathed my nail, yet did not return her needle. I pointed to myself, one mitt poking between my eyes, and then shook my head. I signified I was free of the infection, but she looked confused. "Can you...can you speak?" She asked, which lead to a pang of sadness filling my stomach. I shook my head solemnly, mentally frowning.  I gestured to my mask and then shook my head again. I tilted my head at her. She went silent.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you need?" She asked. </p><p>And mentally, I answered.</p><p> </p><p>I needed to pass.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>egh this sucks more than i wanted it to<br/>y'know, like i called.<br/>but like please comment</p><p>hornet is so out of character ugh</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>wow i tried my best be nice to me</p></blockquote></div></div>
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